Butterflies are symbols of hope.

Butterflies are beautiful. They appear to be so joyful as they flutter around. They are symbols of hope. They start out so differently as caterpillars, and then emerge into beautiful butterflies. They are transformed.

You help “transform” children through the work you do. Sometimes they are shy children who do not want to talk, and through your gentle prompting, they begin to socialize more with others. Sometimes, they are students with behavior problems, and through your consistent and firm classroom management, they are “transformed” to engage in more appropriate behaviors. Sometimes, they are students with disabilities who come in to your classroom feeling “different” and hopeless, and they leave your classroom transformed with hope through the encouragement and support you gave them. You are a difference maker.

Have a wonderful day and a wonderful week.

Maryln

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful.

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to be grateful and to take time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Taking time to have an attitude of gratitude is a great thing to do, not only this week but always. Here are some tips for staying positive and grateful:

Have a gratitude journal. Each night, before you go to sleep, take a few minutes to record the things for which you are grateful. It is a great way to go to sleep. It calms the mind and the spirit. If you are not a writer, just do it in your mind picturing all the great things in your day.

Have a gratitude reminder token. Carry or wear something that is a constant reminder of gratitude. It can be a religious token or some other meaningful object.

Check out the little things. It’s so easy to get caught up in being busy with work and other things, especially in the field of education, that it’s easy to forget to look around and see all the good things too. Look at the wonderful smiles of children. Feel the hugs. Listen to the fun things that children say. It can totally change your day.

Say “thank-you” to the special people in your life. It’s a great feeling to give to others. It will make them feel good, and it will make you feel good too.

And with that, I want to say “thank you” to you for being a part of my life, and for being part of the Appelbaum “family of friends.” During this past month and always, you make a difference in my life. All of us at ATi wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Gratefully,

Maryln

P.S. There will not be another thought for the day until Monday, December 1st.

When is enough, enough?

I recently had an educator write to ask me, “When is enough, enough?” She had a student who was disrespectful and constantly acted out. She tried talking to the parent, but the parent did not want to acknowledge the problem or help solve the problem. She wrote to me about a younger child, but I believe my answer applies to all ages and I wanted to share it with you. I hope you find it helpful.

I believe that enough is enough when you feel that you are neglecting the other children and you have totally exhausted all strategies to help this child. I believe that there are ways to help children even when their parents do not cooperate. I have found that children can learn totally new behaviors at school even though they are still using the old inappropriate behaviors at home. Here are some strategies to try before you decide that enough is enough.

1. Find a way to connect with the child. The more you connect, the less you correct.

2. When the child acts out, you “act in.” Act in a way that role models new behavior for the child. Stay calm. Use a low voice. Be firm but caring.

3. See if there is a pattern for when the child misbehaves. Is there a set time of day or something that happens first? If you find a pattern, strive to break the pattern. Redirect the child toward new activities before the inappropriate behavior can happen.

4. Find something the child loves to do, and build on it. Reinforce appropriate behavior.

5. Involve the child in coming up with solutions to help end inappropriate behavior. “What can you do to remember never to do this again?”

6. Remember always, that if you do not help the child, there might not be someone else who will help. It sounds like the parent won’t help, and it does sound like you care so much.

Have a great day and a wonderful week.

Maryln

Get out the stress eraser

I love to write thoughts for you on Fridays that help you to take more care of yourselves. You give, give, give, all week long to your students. It’s important to remember to give back to yourselves too. One way to do this is to get out a stress eraser. A whiteboard or a chalkboard has erasers that can totally erase everything written on it. You too have to get out your own eraser, a stress eraser, to erase the worries of the past week.

There are different types of stress erasers. One of my favorites is laughter. It is nearly impossible to be stressed and to laugh deeply and fully. Take time this week-end to do something you enjoy that makes you laugh and feel good. It might be watching a hilarious movie. It might be spending time with a child. It might be just letting the “child” within you come out to be silly. The more you laugh, the better you will feel. The better you will feel, the more you will enjoy everything in your life.

Have an awesome wonderful day and week-end.

Maryln

It’s not always the way it looks

I heard a story recently about a man that was very excited about a business trip. He had an appointment at 3:00 that day to sign papers that would make him a millionaire. It was a limited opportunity. If he didn’t sign the papers that afternoon, the deal was off. On his way to the airport, he got stuck in a huge traffic jam. He missed his plane, and left the airport upset that he was not going to be a millionaire. Later that day he heard on the news that the plane he was supposed to take had crashed! There were no survivors. What he had thought was bad, really turned out to be the best thing for him. He got to live.

It is the same with things that happen in your classroom and in your life. I was just telling one of my grandchildren a story last night of something that happened to me when I was very young. Had it not happened, I would not be who I am today. So today if you appear to “miss your plane,” just know that you are fortunate to have another day which means another opportunity to live and to make a difference.

Have a great day.

Maryln